The invention concerns an assembly line for mounting tires on their mounting wheels, with a view to obtaining mounted assemblies ready to be delivered on time to customers, who are generally motor vehicle manufacturers. It concerns, in particular, the system of computerized management of production and delivery of mounted assemblies.
Such an assembly line L (FIG. 1) contains, in the manner known, for example, through U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,919, conveyor bands or belts or metal roller conveyors 1 making possible the routing of tires P, wheels R and mounted assemblies E from one point to another on the assembly line, said tires and said wheels coming from a supply warehouse 2 via appropriate means of transportation. Each wheel R and each tire P, after having been centered on their respective conveyor devices 1, are lubricated in lubricating stations 2.sub.P and 2.sub.R in order to facilitate, as known per se, mounting of the tire, which is carried out by means of a mounting machine or mounter 3, the two beads being set in place in the mounting groove by pressure arms and a roller. An inflating means 4, an inflating bell, for example, makes it possible to introduce inflating gas in the mounted assembly E. Said mounted assembly E, balanced on a balancing machine 7, is then conveyed on a conveyor belt 1 to a storage warehouse 8, comprising several chutes 80, whence it will be picked up by means of mobile units 81 in order to be placed in a means of delivery 9a, 9b to the vehicle manufacturers.
Said delivery is made at present in accordance with successive daily orders from the manufacturer or manufacturers; hence, the birth of assembly lines and so-called advanced storage warehouses, that is, close to the manufacturer's assembly line, so as to be able to deliver the mounted assembly E in sync with the vehicle production unit, that is, to deliver the mounted assembly intended for a given vehicle, so that the latter can be equipped at a given time, a time determined by the kinematics of the vehicle assembly line.
It is customary also to supply mounted assemblies simultaneously to several vehicle manufacturers, only one or more having to be delivered in sync from the same assembly line of mounted units. It is also common in any industrial process worthy of that name to anticipate risks of production stoppage, whatever the causes, and to provide accordingly for stocks of standby mounted assemblies, the problem being one of being able at any time to honor customers' orders within a given time frame.